Symposium

Wednesday, October 04, 2017

WHAT'S HAPPENING: Girlfriend Denies Knowledge Of Vegas Plot

Marilou Danley. Danley, 62, returned to the United States from the Philippines on Tuesday night, Oct. 3, 2017, and was met at Los Angeles International Airport by FBI agents, according to a law enforcement official. Authorities are trying to determine why Stephen Paddock, Danley's boyfriend, killed dozens of people in Las Vegas Oct. 1, in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department via AP, File)

LAS VEGAS (ASSOCIATED PRESS, OCTOBER 5, 2017) — The girlfriend of the Las Vegas shooter said Wednesday that she had no idea he was planning an attack on the Strip and is devastated for the victims. A lawyer for Marilou Danley read a statement from her after she was questioned by FBI agents in Los Angeles about her boyfriend, Stephen Paddock. Danley was out of the country at the time of Sunday's attacks and said Paddock sent her to see her family in her native Philippines.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump traveled to Las Vegas to meet with law enforcement officers and survivors of the shooting outside the Mandalay Bay hotel casino that killed 58 people and wounded more than 500 others.

More about the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history: THE GIRLFRIEND Danley, 62, called Paddock a "kind, caring, quiet man" and said she hoped to have a future with him. She said she was initially pleased when Paddock wired her money in the Philippines to buy a house for her family, but she later worried it was a way to break up with her.

"It never occurred to me in any whatsoever that he was planning violence against anyone," she said. FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe , speaking at a cybersecurity forum Wednesday in Boston, said investigators are busy "reconstructing the life, the behavior, the pattern of activity of this individual and anyone and everyone who may have crossed his path in the days and the weeks leading up to this horrific event."

Asked if investigators had determined why Paddock carried out the attack, he said, "We are not there yet." THE GUNMAN Paddock, a 64-year-old retired accountant and multimillionaire real estate investor, specifically requested an upper-floor room with a view of the music festival, according to a person who has seen hotel records turned over to investigators.

Paddock wasn't able to move into the room until Saturday, said the person, who was not authorized to speak publicly and disclosed the information to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The room goes for $590 but was given to Paddock for free because he was a good customer who wagered tens of thousands of dollars during each visit, the person said.

Casino regulators are looking closely at Paddock's gambling habits and checking their records to see whether he had any disputes with casinos or fellow patrons. In addition, investigators are examining a dozen financial reports filed in recent weeks when he bought more than $10,000 in casino chips.

TRUMP VISIT President Donald Trump traveled to Las Vegas, where he met privately with shooting victims and their families and told the city that the nation stands with them to share in their grief.

Trump also told first responders that they should be proud of the way they responded to the massacre. He said that he met "some of the most amazing people" during his visit to a hospital where victims were recovering and that he's invited some of the survivors to the White House for a visit.

On his trip from the airport, the president's motorcade drove past the Mandalay Bay hotel where the gunman fired down into the concert crowd. The president also drove past his own Trump hotel. THE DEAD

The 58 victims included a father of six, a man who died in his boyfriend's arms and a university student who was studying health care management. More than 500 people were injured in the attacks. At least 160 are still hospitalized, with nearly 60 in critical condition Wednesday evening, hospital officials said.

The injured ended up in 13 hospitals scattered across southern Nevada, with most of them treated and released. POSSIBLE GUN LEGISLATION Senior congressional Republicans said Wednesday they were open to considering legislation banning "bump stocks" like Paddock used to effectively convert semi-automatic rifles into fully automated weapons.

The comments from lawmakers including the No. 2 Senate Republican, John Cornyn of Texas, marked a surprising departure from GOP lawmakers' general antipathy to any kind of gun regulations. But they were far from a guarantee of a path forward for the new legislation by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., especially with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan making clear their priorities are elsewhere.

Other GOP legislators who seemed open to banning "bump stocks" included Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and John Thune of South Dakota.

FROM THE ARCHIVES: THE AMBROSE EHIRIM-CHIKA UNIGWE INTERVIEW

Every writer has to be able to live in the head of her characters. I had to make myself a blank blackboard for the characters to inscribe their lives on me. I had to wipe off that board every time a new character had to be created and totally surrender myself to that new character.

FROM THE ARCHIVES: INTERVIEW: THE SYLVESTER MENSAH STORY

The idea of writing a book had always engaged my thoughts based on reflections and the desire to share my experiences. The motivation was however triggered after reading the book of a gentleman l consider the busiest in Ghana, H. E. John Dramani Mahama

FROM THE ARCHIVES: INTERVIEW: DR. APOLLOS NWAUWA

Contrary to what many think, the Igbo Diaspora is not really a homogenous, coherent group. Like other ethnic nationalities in the USA, the Igbo Diaspora consists of peoples from all walks of life separated by everything and only united by the fact that they are all Igbo. Serious social class disparity exists between them; therefore, presenting a united front in influencing or engineering actions at home continues to be a challenge.

FROM THE ARCHIVES: INTERVIEW: OZO'S KENI SAINT GEORGE

It was indeed a very boisterous, purpose driven, well-to-do Royal family. I come from a lineage of Royals and a well groomed family unit. My Father, Chief George Ozuloke, was a Court Judge for all of 18 years. He was both a Christian and Animist. He had 7 wives of which my mother was the first. I went to St. Martins Primary School and later to a wonderful School – Abbot Secondary Grammar School in Ihiala, my town. I even did a stint in Ihiala Seminary trying to be a Catholic Priest

FROM THE ARCHIVES: INTERVIEW: JULIUS KPADUWA

The problems that confront Imo State are really not unique. It is the same problem that confronts almost every state in Nigeria, and it's one of economic development. The primary thing or my clear vision for the people of Imo State will be getting all the able-bodied men and women back to work, so that we can begin to have the quality of life that has so far eluded the people of Imo State.

FROM THE ARCHIVES: THE OTOKOTO SAGA INTERVIEW

Earlier this year, in January, it was reported in the country’s dailies that your father and six others had been condemned to death. Those condemned with your father were: Alban Ajaegbu, Sampson Nnamito, Ebenezer Egwuekwe, Rufus Anyanwu, Lawrence Eboh, and Chief Leonard Unogu. How is your dad related to the names I have mentioned?

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Where We Met

But seeing a Nigeria headline on my screen it then occurred to him I must either be a Nigerian or perhaps a curious minded fellow who is reading to find out about the notorious Boko Haram, if they have captured more of their victims, or if there's an ongoing battle between the insurgents and the nation's security forces. Elevating my head up and starring at each other, I told him I was Igbo

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About Me

Ambrose Ehirim is a blogger, a writer, a photo-journalist, a volunteer and teacher. He has published articles and essays in African Times, African Watch, Pace News, Los Angeles Weekly, Life & Time Magazine, Kilima, American Chronicle, Long Beach Sentinel, Reuters and many other publications. He was former editor of New Life and West Coast Bureau Chief at the BNW Magazine. An Anti-Igbo Pogrom scholar and researcher, and currently working on and researching the 'Eastside Groups and Bands' Vintage Years.'

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